Posted: 07/21/2006

Clerks 2

(2006)

by Clint Fletcher

The legend known as Kevin Smith has finally hit another homerun. After the sub-par Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl, I was beginning to think he may have lost his touch. Boy was I wrong. Clerks II is by far the funniest movie of 2006.

First off, allow me to answer the question on everyone’s minds. Is it on the same level as the original? Yes. Matter of fact its better. No more black and white film stock. No more low-budget nuisances. No more grainy footage or audio difficulties. I always wanted to see what Clerks could have been if it had a higher budget, which is what you get (and more) with Clerks II. The film picks up some ten odd years after the original. Our favorite Slackers Dante and Randal have now moved on to Moobeys, thanks to Randal accidentally burning down the precious Quick Stop. Both of them are STILL trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives, with Dante on the verge of moving to Florida with his fiancée to start a new life. So Dante wants to leave, Randal is happy where he is, Jay and Silent Bob are back from rehab and their hot manager Rosario Dawson has a thing for Dante. But as any Kevin Smith followers should know, this movie focuses more on random pop culture content than plot. Hell, as long as its funny, do we really care?

The movie gets off to a slow start in its first twenty minutes or so, but as soon as the supporting characters come into the picture, things start to liven up a bit. As per any Smith film there is no structure whatsoever, so some scenes may last a couple minutes while others may drag on forever, you just never know what’s next. But again, as long as everything is entertaining, do we really care? Structure or not, I laughed my ass off at everything it had to offer, from Jay’s naked dancing to awkward Jesus guy explaining his virginity to Randal cussing out a nerd obsessed with Lord of the Rings. This is my kind of movie filled with pop references galore, anywhere from Transformers to the Star Wars trilogy. If you are any kind of movie/television geek you will dig every single one of them. But… if you’re over the age of 40 and don’t have a raunchy sense of humor, this movie definitely isn’t for you. There’s a scene where a giant fat guy fucks a donkey for Christ’s sake. While no one of any age wants to see that, even the rest of the flick may be a little much for some people. If you were to cringe if someone started up a conversation on “ass-to-mouth” in your presence, then it may be best to stay away.

But what shocked me the most was the closing act of the film, which brings a lot of heart to the story and its characters, something the original never possessed. Hell, I even got a little misty during a couple scenes as Dante and Randal finally come to terms with their lives and accepting who they really are and will become in the future. The ending impressed me most of all, especially the closing shot which made me reminisce of the first flick. The acting was top notch, especially from Jay and Randal who really hit this ball out of the park with tons of laughs galore. Some familiar faces stop by as always, such as Jason Lee, Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith’s hot wife. The soundtrack was kickass ranging from old to new (kudos on the Smashing Pumpkins addition). Rosario Dawson is cute as hell and is a lovely addition to the View Askew gang. But when you’re dealing with Kevin Smith, everything boils down to the writing, and I have to say this is the finest script he’s written since Chasing Amy.

As said before, Clerks II is the funniest movie of the year and will likely remain that way. If you’re a fan of Smith and his raunchy comedy, or if you’re a 30-something slacker that still doesn’t know what to do with his/her life, then Clerks II is your new Bible.

Clint Fletcher is a writer and movie critic living in the Midwest.

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